Sunday, April 24, 2011

In Pullman, Washington State track and field competitors broke meet records and 10 reached lifetime-best marks Saturday under sunny skies at the 11th Annual Cougar Invitational Track & Field meet held at the Mooberry Track Complex.

WSU All-American javelin throwers Marissa Tschida (left/photo by Paul Merca) and Courtney Kirkwood opened the meet by both surpassing the meet record set in 2008 by Lynnea Braun, then at Spokane CC, of 161-feet, 7 inches (49.26m). Tschida, a senior from Missoula, threw the javelin 172-4 (52.52m) for the event win, and Kirkwood, a junior from Othello, threw a distance of 167-10 (51.17m) for the runner-up spot.

Courtney Zalud, WSU sophomore from Colbert, Wash., ran a meet record time in the women's 800m with a lifetime-best time of 2 minutes, 8.85 seconds, surpassing former Cougar All-American Alishia Booterbaugh's time of 2:09.94 run in the 2000 meet.

In Bellingham, Sarah Porter (Sr., Hockinson) broke a 24-year-old school record in the women's 3000 meters, highlighting Western Washington University performances Saturday at the 11th annual Viking Twilite track and field meet at Civic Stadium.

Porter won the event in 9:35.75, breaking the school standard of 9:38.76 set by Jennifer Eastman in 1988.

The other WWU school record came in the men's hammer throw, where Michael Hoffman (Jr., Bellingham/Sehome) was a NCAA Division II automatic national qualifier with a meet-record mark of 206-3 (62.87m).

Ali Worthen, a SPU junior, went 19 feet, 7 ½ inches (5.98 meters) to win the long jump. It shattered her previous career best of 18-0 ½ / 5.50 meters set on April 9 at the War IV meet in Spokane. Not only was it easily an NCAA provisional mark, it pushed her all the way up to No. 3 in all of Division II, pending the outcome of other results this weekend. And, Worthen is just 1 ¼ inches away from making it an automatic trip to Turlock, Calif., for next month's nationals.

Falcons senior Melissa Peaslee cleared the 12-foot mark for the first time this spring to win the pole vault and gain a spot on the NCAA provisional list. Peaslee went 12-1 ½ / 3.70 meters. Her previous best this year was 11-5 ¾ / 3.50 meters just last week at the Spike Arlt Invitational in Ellensburg. Her career best is 12-5 ½ / 3.75 meters.

We are honored to receive this award, as it comes from our peers who passionately cover the sport, and strive to continue the legacy of excellence that the late Adam Jacobs sought before his untimely passing.

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About Me

Internationally respected track and field writer Paul Merca brings his take on the sport to paulmerca.blogspot.com.
Paul was the assistant director of communications for the 1984 USA Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in Olympia, WA., and public relations director for the 1999 USA Cross Country Championships in Tacoma, WA.
The current public address announcer for the University of Washington's home track and field meets, Merca's been a media assistant to the USA national team (2001-11, 13, 15) at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
His vast knowledge of the sport has been utilized by many of the country's sports television networks, and is a senior writer to Northwest Runner magazine. He's covered twelve IAAF World Track & Field Championships, and two Olympics.
Merca graduated from Seattle's Franklin High School in 1977, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1981 in Communications.
He competed in track and cross country at Franklin, and ran cross country at the University of Washington.